Pedro Costa spent five years on the heels of Jeanne Balibar, a French actress known among others from Arnaud Desplechin's movies, to make this documentary focusing on Balibar's work as a singer. The film he put together includes various footage of live concerts, rehearsals, recording sessions and lessons, each in rather long takes. With the same brilliant juxtapositions of light and shade that made such movies as "In Vanda's Room (No Quarto da Vanda)" and "Colossal Youth (Juventude Em Marcha)" so visually outstanding, Costa paints beautiful black and white portraits by highlighting only one side of the face, or captures bright light as it falls through a window into a dark room. Balibar is equally at home in everything from rock to opera, but seeing and hearing her sing "The Rose" quite casually in a brightly lit backstage setting is simply disarming.

By Maru July 27, 2010